Monday, March 16, 2015

Pallone Announces Over $5.75 Million for Sandy Repairs in Monmouth County




Funding to Replace Bray Avenue Bridge, Repair Romer Shoal Lighthouse

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-6) announced that Monmouth County, New Jersey will be receiving more than $5.75 million in federal funding to address serious damages to the Bray Avenue Bridge and the Romer Shoal Lighthouse as a result of Superstorm Sandy. The Bray Avenue Bridge, which was originally denied significant funding, will be replaced, and repairs will be made to Romer Shoal Lighthouse. The funding is being provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) via the Sandy aid package that Congressman Pallone fought for in Congress.

“I am pleased that Monmouth County is finally receiving adequate funds to make these necessary repairs our local infrastructure,” said Congressman Pallone. “The closure of Bray Avenue Bridge for over two years now has greatly inconvenienced Middletown residents and commuters. I am glad that FEMA has finally recognized the need to make these investments so that our community can continue to rebuild and get back to normal. Making these investments now will also help to ensure that our infrastructure is stronger than before and can withstand future storms so that we don’t witness the historic destruction of Sandy ever again.”

The first allocation provides $2,006,208.90 in federal funding to Monmouth County Public Works to replace the Bray Avenue Bridge in Middletown, NJ. The Bray Avenue Bridge has been closed since Superstorm Sandy hit and post-Sandy investigations revealed that, due to damage from the storm, the bridge was no longer safe for vehicular traffic. Monmouth County applied to FEMA for funding assistance to repair the bridge, but were denied any significant funding.

Congressman Pallone wrote a letter to FEMA Regional Administrator Jerome Hatfield in April of last year urging the agency to revisit the funding request so that the bridge could be reopened.

The second allocation provides $3,750,415.20 in federal funding to make repairs to the Romer Shoal Lighthouse. Romer Shoal Lighthouse sits three nautical miles north of Sandy Hook, New Jersey. The light, which sustained serious damage during Superstorm Sandy, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.


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